Daniel and Mingo are on a scouting expedition to Florida when they encounter a number of parties at odds - traveling magician Tom Mayberry and wife Ada (Russ Conway and Nan Leslie), Seminole leader Oonah (Leonard Nimoy), and settler leader John Bridger (Judson Pratt).
An above-average road story enhanced by an exotic locale (though California-filmed) and extra production values. Canadian 1960's TV journeyman Conway and supporting actress Leslie ("King's Row") fill out their stock characters all right, as does John Ford veteran Pratt ("The Horse Soldiers.") Most interesting is Nimoy in one of his last ethnic roles before being claimed forever by the "Star Trek" machine. His countenance commanded the screen in whatever part he attempted, and in an era of white actors pressed into service as Native Americans, he was one of the few who made a convincing tribesman.
The central current of the story is Florida real estate and attempts to profit off of it, instant laughs for anyone remotely familiar with the basic outline of the state's history. Conway goes very fast from disdain for the Seminoles to being a land agent/shaman for them as soon as he gets a whiff of power he somewhat unrealistically sees his magic act as a route to building an anti-settler tribal coalition. Too bad he missed crossing paths with Tecumseh. Daniel defaults to settler-protection mode for the hour, determined to foil Conway's nascent confederacy when it starts to attract interest from the Choctaw.
On the history front, Dan is on a somewhat unrealistic mission to find new overflow settler land before the southern Five Civilized Tribes get crowded and get on the warpath. No evidence that such was ever the slightest concern of the trans-Appalachian settlers, and Andrew Jackson settled the matter when he told the 5CT at gunpoint to pack up civilization and depart for sunny Oklahoma. DB's costumer's have a rare good week and put together a passing depiction of what late 18th century Seminole life looked like, probably helped by the fact that a few midlevel 1960's film productions featured Seminole settings. Introduction of American settlement seems a bit premature for the 1780's-90's setting; the Spanish had control of the region until the War of 1812, James Madison's eviction of them being a successful consolation prize in lieu of conquering Canada.
Again, the episode is SoCal-filmed, and the manicured open areas give away this is probably a golf course. Importing at least a couple of non-stock footage alligators would have helped considerably.
A moderate amount of action and the denouement seems time-sensitive, but Dan and Mingo adventures always seem to deliver when they get out of Boonesborough's sight.
An above-average road story enhanced by an exotic locale (though California-filmed) and extra production values. Canadian 1960's TV journeyman Conway and supporting actress Leslie ("King's Row") fill out their stock characters all right, as does John Ford veteran Pratt ("The Horse Soldiers.") Most interesting is Nimoy in one of his last ethnic roles before being claimed forever by the "Star Trek" machine. His countenance commanded the screen in whatever part he attempted, and in an era of white actors pressed into service as Native Americans, he was one of the few who made a convincing tribesman.
The central current of the story is Florida real estate and attempts to profit off of it, instant laughs for anyone remotely familiar with the basic outline of the state's history. Conway goes very fast from disdain for the Seminoles to being a land agent/shaman for them as soon as he gets a whiff of power he somewhat unrealistically sees his magic act as a route to building an anti-settler tribal coalition. Too bad he missed crossing paths with Tecumseh. Daniel defaults to settler-protection mode for the hour, determined to foil Conway's nascent confederacy when it starts to attract interest from the Choctaw.
On the history front, Dan is on a somewhat unrealistic mission to find new overflow settler land before the southern Five Civilized Tribes get crowded and get on the warpath. No evidence that such was ever the slightest concern of the trans-Appalachian settlers, and Andrew Jackson settled the matter when he told the 5CT at gunpoint to pack up civilization and depart for sunny Oklahoma. DB's costumer's have a rare good week and put together a passing depiction of what late 18th century Seminole life looked like, probably helped by the fact that a few midlevel 1960's film productions featured Seminole settings. Introduction of American settlement seems a bit premature for the 1780's-90's setting; the Spanish had control of the region until the War of 1812, James Madison's eviction of them being a successful consolation prize in lieu of conquering Canada.
Again, the episode is SoCal-filmed, and the manicured open areas give away this is probably a golf course. Importing at least a couple of non-stock footage alligators would have helped considerably.
A moderate amount of action and the denouement seems time-sensitive, but Dan and Mingo adventures always seem to deliver when they get out of Boonesborough's sight.
